The present invention relates to a stapling apparatus assembled for example, on a sorter of an electrophotographic apparatus and adapted to insert a staple into a stack of copied sheets at a predetermined position and bind the copied sheets together and an image forming apparatus.
This kind of stapling apparatus has a flat line array of staples arranged relative to a plurality of copied sheets.
In the case where the copied sheets are to be stapled, one forward-end side staple of the flat line staple array is pushed down by a staple push-down plate into abutting engagement with a staple bending plate and bent. And the bent staple is further pressed down by the staple press-down plate and, by doing so, the staple bending plate yields against the push-down load and is moved aside, while, on the other hand, the forward end portions of the bent staple penetrate into the copied sheets on an anvil and are bent inwardly at a recess in the anvil to staple the copied sheets.
Incidentally, the length of the staple is normally fixed and, in the case of stapling 25 copied sheets with a binding width of 11 mm for example, the optimal length of the staple is of the order of 24 mm.
The forward end width of the staple bending plate is 10 mm and the bending width of the staple is about 11 mm, so that this bending width provides a binding width relative to the copied sheets.
In the prior art, however, the binding width is normally constant, not depending upon the number of copied sheets involved and, when, for example, 50 copied sheets are stapled, the bent forward end widths of the staple are only 2.5 mm and a lowest layer sheet page and adjacent pages are liable to be separated, thus providing no adequate stapling.
Further, if about 2 copied sheets are stapled, then the bent forward end widths of the staple is 6.5 mm and an interference occurs at those bent forward end portions of the staple.
In order to solve this problem, a stapling apparatus has been developed which includes a changing mechanism for changing the bending position of a staple, whereby it is possible to change the bending dimension, that is, the binding width, of the staple in accordance with the thickness of a stack of copied sheets.
Also developed is a stapling apparatus having a plurality of different lengths of staples in which a given staple is selected according to the thickness of a stack of copied sheets and, by doing so, better stapling can be provided even if the binding width is constant.
However, the apparatus including the changing mechanism for changing the bending position of the staple requires an additional step of operating the changing mechanism and involves an inconvenience that the stapling efficiency is lowered.
Further, in the stapling apparatus having a plurality of different lengths of staples, a selecting mechanism is required to select the staple and it involves a high cost and an inconvenience of requiring more occupation space.
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide a low-cost stapling apparatus which can provide better stapling without arranging any changing mechanism for changing the bending position of the staple and arranging any different lengths of staples and an image forming apparatus.
The stapling apparatus of the present invention comprises a storage section for storing a staple wire as a roll-like form which provides a staple with which a stack of sheet materials is bound, feeding means for feeding the staple wire which is stored within the storage section in accordance with the stacked amount of sheet materials, cutting means for cutting the staple wire fed by the feeding means to form a staple, conveying means for conveying the staple formed by the cutting means to a predetermined position, and stapling means for bending the staple conveyed by the conveying means to the predetermined position to staple the stacked sheet materials.
An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an image carrier for carrying an image, image forming means for forming an image on the image carrier, transferring means for transferring the image which is formed by the image forming means to a transfer medium, a discharging section for allowing the transfer medium with an image transferred by the transferring means thereto to be discharged, and a stapling apparatus provided on the discharging section and binding the transfer medium stacked on the discharging section by a staple, wherein the stapling apparatus comprises a storage section for storing a staple wire as a roll-like form which provides a staple, feeding means for feeding the staple wire which is stored within the storage section in accordance with a stacked amount of the transfer medium, cutting means for cutting the staple wire fed by the feeding means to form a staple, conveying means for conveying the staple which is formed by the cutting means to a predetermined position, and stapling means for bending the staple which is conveyed by the conveying means to the predetermined position and stapling the stacked transfer medium.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.